Ode to Forgotten Histories
by pseudonympha
Summary: "Who do you think you are? A hero?" She shifted nervously under his intense amethyst glare. "You are nothing more than a stupid woman, whose dreams of peace, hope, and all that human garbage have amounted to nothing. And now? Well, now you'll just be dead." - Good doesn't always conquer evil, sometimes great sacrifices are made and slain heroes are forgotten to time. UPDATED!
1. Prologue

**Extended summary: S** **et a hundred years before the main storyline...Ever wonder why Greed defected from Father after a hundred years of service? Curious as to why he has a policy against telling lies? Speculated why the 'Ever Avarious One' seems to hold no superiority complex over humans? Find out the answers to these questions and more by following the short life of Nadine Huntly, a spirited Amestrian Military Academy student, whose insatiable curiosity for all things supernatural might have just caused her to bite off a bit more than her tender years can chew.**

* * *

 **Ode to Forgotten Histories**

 **Prologue**

* * *

"Well, now, isn't this an interesting find?"

The dark eyes of Solf J. Kimblee keenly scanned the contents of the folder held open before him. Taking in the blurred images of the old, sepia-style photographs, a pleased smirk curled up one side of his face. He had truly stumbled upon a treasure-trove.

A long, even stride brought the Crimson Alchemist passed rows of packed bookshelves to a small stool near the only source of light in the cramped room, the lit doorway. With ease, he perched himself carefully upon the stool without looking away from his valued find.

He was suddenly glad that he had been able to coerce the ever salacious Pride into giving him access to secret records that had been collected over the years by the more subversive members of the Amestrian power structure. Amongst the endless shelves of legal paperwork and alchemic textbooks, he had found a thin manila folder wedged between two large tomes.

It was a pleasant surprise when he had opened it to reveal a hit-list accompanied by a stack of snapshots.

"Now, who do we have here, hm?"

Kimblee quickly sifted through the photographs, turning them over to read a brief summary about the person in the image. They ranged from recent, crisp to the blurred mono-color of the last century. It didn't take him long to realize that these photographs were of people that Father had considered a threat to his plans, and surely had one of his seven children dispose of.

A few, he recognized… _Yuriy Rockbell…Sarah Rockbell…Maes Hughes…_ However, his attention was drawn to someone else.

It was one of the older photographs in the group, curled at the corners and yellowed with age. A young woman appeared to be the sole occupant of the image, yet the way she had twisted her waist told him that she had been leaning in towards someone. That, and the fact that a disembodied hand had a secure hold of her hip.

With curiosity, the brunet-haired man fingered the edge of the photograph and found from its slightly uneven edge, that whoever had stood next to the woman had been ripped away. His interest piqued, Kimblee flipped it over to discover two facts.

A name. _Nadine Huntly_

A year. _1811_

Nothing more, nothing less. The rest was filled with a jumble of letters that held no obvious rhyme or reason to their order. There was no clear mark, a red 'X' with a circle drawn around it, to indicated whether this target had been disposed of unlike the other photographs resting in his lap. Though, he supposed it didn't matter whether they had caught her or not since the date had read over a century ago. She was undoubtedly deceased, and therefore, no longer posed a threat to Father's all-encompassing plot for Amestris.

However, once Kimblee found something that stirred his more inquisitive side, he was hardly wont to let go. Being a tactical genius, it only took him a half hour to decipher the code to read the rest of the information placed on the back of the snapshot. It was a slight surprise for him to discover that it was a catalogue of the store room.

The man followed the number system placed along the bottom of the shelves, and plucked out a large tome that matched the coordinates given on the back of the photograph. He opened it to an earmarked page, and just as a he did so, several lose papers fell to land on his white loafers. He bent to retrieve them, but stayed in his crouched position as realized what he was holding.

It was the _"Help Wanted"_ section of a newspaper. Various jobs were crossed out, some circled, some scribbled over to the point where a hole was nearly worn into the paper. The top was marked with a date: _29_ _th_ _April, 1807_.

He set the newspaper aside to pick up the other item that had fallen. It was another picture of Nadine Huntly. This time she looked several years younger than the last, her face still round with youth. She was also accompanied by two older looking women, and from their similar facial features and light hair, Kimblee deduced that the three were likely to be related.

Again, the back of the image held a familiar date, _1807_.

One never to let go of a bone when it still had meat to chew, Solf J. Kimblee set his face into a simper as a maniacal gleam shone in his eyes and a conspiratorial whisper escaped his slightly quirked lips,

"Tell me your secrets, Ms. Huntly."

* * *

 **Cut scene! This was short, because it was the prologue. The following chapters will be much longer.**

 **The rest of the story will take place from 1807 to 1811 under the view of the mysterious Nadine Huntly. Just what did she do to end up on the big bad homunculus hit-list? Wind back the clock over a hundred years to discover not only the role she played in Father's subversive plans for the young, ever growing country of Amestris, but just where does she fit into Greed's shifting loyalties, and ultimately, his defection. Occasionally, Kimblee will reappear to guide us through the hidden library in the present, bringing piece by piece together to uncover the tragic past of one of Amestris' first heroines.**

 **Though it was short, please let me know what you all think on whether I should pursue this plot or not. I appreciate all favorites, follows, and REVIEWS sent my way. ;)**

 **Much love,**

 **pseudo ~**


	2. Stalker

**Thanks to those who have continued on to this second installment!** **Obviously, I don't own FMAB, or I would be lavishing in my millions instead of posting fanfiction. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Ode to Forgotten Histories**

 **Chapter One:**

 **"Stalker"**

* * *

 _3rd March, 1811; Central City, Central Amestris_

It was her fault. All of this was her fault.

The self-accusation hung heavily on the mind of Nadine Huntly. Despite how the irresponsible side of her cooed soothing words that denied her involvement in all the unfortunate matters that had transpired over the last four years, she could no longer disillusion herself. The part she was playing was clearly not that of a victim.

Perhaps it had begun that way, but it was here, in this moment, where it became clear that had changed. For she currently stood in a pool of blood that was not her own while clutching the trigger of a pistol resting against the temple of a man whom she had once claimed to love.

It was then that she finally admitted to herself that the shoes she filled were clearly the role of a villain.

Feasibly, she thought some could argue, "villain" was too soft a term to express the true fiend that she had become. Rather the word "monster", especially taking into light the feral expression that she knew to be scrawled across her face, seemed to fit her much better. Not even the force of the driving rain could disguise the horrid twisting of her features.

The sides of her mouth quirked the slightest way upwards as a haggard laugh escaped through her chapped lips.

 _What irony._

She could not help but to scoff at the caustic nature that her life had taken. There she stood amidst a downpour, ready to execute a man with the simple twitch of her index finger, a self-proclaimed monster.

Such a pity, for she had once been such an innocent girl.

She could clearly pick out the moment that had sent her life spiraling down the path towards villainy. It was a day very much like this one. One where she also had nearly been soaked to the bone with foreboding clouds sagging overhead. If only she could have warned the naïve girl she was then of the tragic future that she was to behold.

"Oh, Nadine, you were such a fool…"

A deafening gunshot filled the alleyway.

* * *

 _29th April, 1807; Wellesley, Western Amestris_

Nadine Huntly had come to two conclusions. One, they believed she was a complete and utterly oblivious moron. Or two, they had somehow come to the baseless conclusion that she was blind. However, since she knew they could clearly see her reading both a text on medicinal alchemy and a thick newspaper, then it was unlikely that they thought she was sightless. Therefore, that left the first conclusion, and she hated when people assumed she was an idiot.

The mysterious _'they'_ in this equation were an immaculately dressed couple lounging on the opposite side of the cafe that Nadine frequently visited, and currently was sitting in.

For the past few weeks, she had taken notice of the couple, a strikingly gorgeous woman and a disgruntled but classically handsome man, arrive in the cafe only moments after she would place an order, and would exit just a few minutes after she herself had left. Each time the pair would seat themselves at a table just outside of Nadine's sight, but in a location where they could easily eye her.

Typically, the voluptuous woman would casually sip on a cup of tea, her movements fluid and deliberate, while the man beside her slouched in his chair completely irreverent of all social pleasantries, not ordering.

Occasionally, he would tilt his chair back on two legs, placing his arms behind his head, and resting his expensive looking leather boots on the tabletop. The woman would allow several seconds to tick by before she would elegantly place her teacup down next to his feet, and grab the man's ankle. From the pained expression he would make immediately afterwards, Nadine guessed that the woman must have had an amazing grip strength. He would then sit properly in his chair and glower at her for a bit before resuming his lackadaisical pose once more.

Their lavish clothing and hauntingly attractive features clearly demonstrated that they had no place belonging in such a rundown, family-owned cafe as the one they were in. It was painfully obvious that they should have had no business being there, and that, more than their seemingly odd attempt to stalk her, is what set Nadine at unease. But, that was about to change. This game was about to end.

The seventeen-year-old girl planned to take matters into her own hands starting today, and the weather, which was currently a raging downpour, had offered her the perfect opportunity to do such a thing.

Her plan was simple. The idea was that, in the next few minutes, she would gather her things up and step out into the driving rain, and if the dark-haired man and woman vacated the warmth of the little shop to step out into the torrential downpour, then she would have irrefutable evidence that they, indeed, were following her.

However, when it came to matters concerning Nadine, things rarely went according to plan. Today, in fact, was no exception to that unspoken rule.

Narrowed, yet lazy, amethyst orbs met wide, charcoal irises. Unexpectedly, a sickening chill crawled up the girl's spine as she accidentally caught eyes with the male in the pair. His dark eyebrows rose in surprise, and with a self-satisfied smirk beginning to surface on his lips, he offered a condescending wave of his hand, four obsidian bracelets falling from his exposed wrist and into the cuff of his black satin shirt.

"Oh dear, holy geez, gosh darnit, mother of a damned whore..." Nadine muttered the rather childish curses under her breath as she realized that she had been caught stalking one of her stalkers.

The pits of her cotton shirt became damp with nervous perspiration, and she turned her head in awkward directions pretending as if she had just been casually scanning the room rather than outright gawking at the man, whom she could have sworn she heard snickering in the distance.

It was also in this moment that she registered several other details. In her desire to gain a look at the peculiar duo from her unfortunate location, Nadine had apparently, very indiscreetly, leaned so far across her table that she was laying on it belly down, the tips of her worn brown shoes just barely brushing the floor as her legs dangled over the edge from the waist down. More than one pair of eyes were gawking in her direction as her strange position seemed to have drawn an inordinate amount of attention from the other patrons in the conservative-looking cafe.

Oh, all that, and the fact that the ethereal female stalker was now standing directly in front of her.

"It would seem you noticed us, how perceptive." The woman spoke in a saccharine, sultry voice, her eyes an unwavering and nearly hypnotic wine color, similar to the man whom was now watching them with a wolfish grin from across the room, his feet once again on the table now that his more civilized companion was gone.

With a gloved hand, she gestured towards the empty seat across from the dumbstruck girl, "Mind if I have a seat with you?"

"Uh," Nadine began with her usual lack of eloquence, "...huh?"

Taking that as a yes, the woman easily slid into the seat across from her, flipping her long dark tendrils over her shoulder, and settling a knowing smirk upon her ruby-painted lips.

"Oh, uh, well, okay. You're already sitting down. I guess that's, um, fine?" The younger of the two women mumbled anxiously, her grey eyes darting to look everywhere, but at the intimidating beauty in front of her. Occasionally they would unintentionally land on the woman's partner whose smirk only grew bigger with each time their eyes met.

There was something about the type of beauty the woman held. It almost felt predatory, like a well-polished weapon. The dark-haired man, despite keeping his distance and appearing much more like an out-of-place king than a fearsome stalker, also emitted that daunting aura.

Unphased by the abashed young woman's ramblings, the stranger carried on, "I apologize if we have alarmed you in these last few weeks with our attentions. Well, its just that you happened to catch my eye."

Nadine sat ramrod straight, puffing out her cheeks to blow away a piece of sandy-colored hair that had escaped from her her messy updo, and had irritatingly fallen in front of her face, "Sorry, come again?"

" _I said_ , you happened to catch my eye," The woman's smirk grew deeper, "Actually, those did."

Slate-colored orbs followed the silken fabric covering a long delicate finger to find it was pointing at her reading material, the medicinal alchemy text and the _'Help Wanted'_ section of the newspaper.

"Erm," The sandy-haired girl fidgeted in her seat, "You've been following me, because I can read?"

"Something like that," Was her response.

Nadine frowned, "In this day and age it is hardly unusual to find a woman who can read. I'm inclined to think your reasoning goes a bit beyond my literacy level."

"Clever girl," The inky-haired woman began, "I'm more interested in the subject matter you are reading rather than your ability to. You see, I'm rather curious about medicinal alchemy myself."

The brunette girl immediately perked up at the mention of her hobby, "Oh? It's just a hobby. My mother is an apothecarist, so I'm curious about the connections. Uh, well, I hate to break it to you, but I can't actually perform the alchemy I've read about, so-"

"That's not an issue. Your interest is all that matters," the woman broke her off, then sat back with her arms crossed under her large bosom. "I've been rather rude, I suppose. Following you, and not even offering my name."

"Yes," Nadine drawled in a straightforward manner that was inherently characteristic of her, once again glancing over at the amused man whom had now leaned forward in his seat with his arms draped over his knees.

She was unable to stop herself from noticing the way the sleeves of his shirt strained against his biceps as he watched their conversation. She couldn't quite decide whether his muscular build and strong jawline made him look fetching or just plain frightening taking into the light her situation. Ultimately, she determined that it was his attractiveness that made him all the more terrifying.

"I'm just Nadine Huntly. Reading hobby aside, I'm not an alchemist of any sort. Nothing special here. As you can see from my newspaper, I'm merely a girl desperate for a job while only having a minimal skill set. I can hardly see how someone as...uh, _affluent looking_ as you would take interest in me."

One of the woman's artfully manicured eyebrows gave a slight twitch at the girl's candid statement, before tilting her head back and offering a look of appraisal, "You could prove to be very useful to your country, Nadine."

Before Nadine had time to get in a word of opposition, the woman resumed in her bewitching tone of voice,

"My name is Solaris, and I have a proposition for you."

* * *

 **Aaaand there you have it! Hopefully, this chapter gave you a little glimpse into the beginning of Nadine's journey. Dearest Lust is still using that code name a hundred years later on Havoc, ha. I promise Greed will do more than smirk and look pretty next chapter.**

 **A HUGE THANKS to JMichelleW for reviewing even though there was so little to go on so far. You're the reason this chapter even exists. Also, to that rude spam review I got...really? Come on. **

**Please favourite, follow, and especially review! All of your comments encourage me to improve and continue on. :)**

 **Much love,**

 **pseudo ~**


	3. Proposition

**Hello, all! Thanks for the wait with this chapter. Life has a habit of getting in the way sometimes.**

 **A special thanks to JMichelleW, Pandoru, and heavybreathingcat whose reviews and PMs really helped me improve my writing last chapter. This chapter exists, because of you lovely people. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _29_ _th_ _April, 1807; Wellesley, Western Amestris_

The rain pattered down around Nadine's rushing form. She was attempting to skip around the puddles that littered the muddy road as she hastily made her way from the café towards home. While her fast pace was deliberate, her mind was far away.

Solaris had left her not long after putting forth her proposition. The mysterious woman had mentioned a new program the Amestrian Military was starting up. She recalled the words the woman had said,

" _It is a special military task force to gather alchemists trained by the state. The idea has been in the works for a while, but you know how inflexible government red tape can be. While alchemists have always been welcomed into the ranks, they tend to be rather…unruly and ill-trained in their specialty._

 _The Military Academy will be conducting an exercise focusing on the particulars of alchemic warfare for a new class of incoming students. A subset would include a group of students training to harness alchemy for medicinal and scientific purposes. The hope is to hone alchemists from scratch, making them much more reliable and proficient for military use."_

She had been told that Solaris was a recruiter from the government, sent out to proposition young people into joining the program. Apparently, Nadine's proclivity for reading medicinal texts on alchemy had peaked the bodacious woman's interest. Additionally, invitation was limited to those Solaris, and her apparent partner who merely watched the entire exchange from across the room, handpicked.

Solaris also pressed that, " _Experience as an alchemist is not a required prerequisite for entrance. In fact, it is not encouraged as the Academy wants to build the recruits from the bottom up. To avoid priorly obtained bad habits and to foster resolute unity, you see?"_

That singular fact was a bit unnerving to Nadine, but she didn't dwell too long on it.

After the short conversation, Solaris rose from the table with all the elegance of a refined aristocrat. She encouraged Nadine to think her proposition over, and with that ghosted out of the café. Her male companion quickly crossed the room, and followed her out the door, but not before he tossed a sharp-toothed grin back at Nadine.

It seemed too good to be true. Too convenient. Too well-timed that this offer would come just as her family's apothecary business was going under. Could they possibly know about that? They had been watching her for some time, so it was possible. However, she could not deny that the proposal was rather enticing.

"Finally," Nadine muttered through the downpour as she approached the familiar sign that read, _Matris Rememdii_.

Standing under the alcove of the shop, the brunette tossed her mud-splattered shoes aside. Rubbing the moisture from her woolen stockings, she pushed open the door and stepped inside. She was in the middle of wringing out her moist clothes, creating a pool of water at the entrance to the room, when a voice caught her by surprise.

"Hey!" A shout echoed from across the room

Nadine ceased to fiddle with the folds of her soaking skirt, and looked up at the call.

A young woman stood on the opposite side of the room leaning into the checkout counter against a backdrop of vials and clouded jars. Though she seemed to be in her early twenties, she didn't look all that different from Nadine. The same pale skin, pert lips, and gray eyes looked back at her.

Only two features really differentiated the two young women. With a bit of bitterness, Nadine marveled at the slight reddish tint to the girl's hair that she herself did not have. She had always wished that she had inherited their mother's hair color just like Lucille, and their younger brother, Leon, had.

"I bought this today," the woman, Lucille, gave a single, quick three hundred and sixty degree twirl of her maroon dress. It sent the skirt of it out into a flare before falling back into a straight A-line, "Well, how do I look?"

The second feature Nadine was hardly envious of.

Like any good younger sister would, the brunette young woman responded with, "Uh, fat. You look fat."

A frown marred the older woman's features as she watched her sibling make her way up the creaking staircase, "Well, I am pregnant, you know? I have enough body issues to deal with as it is. You could have at least done me the courtesy of lying, and told me that I look ravishing."

"Isn't it that kind of talk that got you into this mess in the first place?" Nadine paused her ascent up the stairs to comment before she peeked her head back down to the lower level with a cheeky grin, "Besides, sister dear, you very well know that I am a great deal of many unpleasant things, but a liar certainly is not one of them."

Nadine gave a giggle at Lucille's expense, reveling at her sibling's blushing, indignant expression. She bounded up the rest of the steps to the second floor, just narrowly missing the shoe that had been aimed for her head. It clattered on the wall just to the left of her ear. If she had to give her sister credit for one thing, it was that her illegitimate pregnancy had done nothing to hinder her quick reflexes.

There were only two bedrooms and a kitchen in the apartment Nadine and her family lived in over their apothecary business. Enticed by the smell of cooking food, her nose led her to the kitchen. Once she stepped foot into the cramped room, she was hardly disappointed.

The smell of homemade stew wafted over the seventeen-year-old girl, her mouth already beginning to hungrily salivate. She had been so caught up in her job search and the idea of setting her stalkers straight, that this would be her first meal of the day. The two cups of tea she had been courteously offered by Solaris by way of apology had done little to satiate her hunger.

Speaking of which, just what was she supposed to do about that odd woman's proposition? Accept it or—

"You certainly look as if you are miles away. Care to spare a cen for your thoughts?"

Shaking off the worries of her reverie, Nadine turned to lock eyes with her mother. She was not sure how she first missed her presence when she came into the room. After all, the graying woman was reclined in a chair in the same spot she always sat in since she had taken ill a year ago.

"Oh, you know," Nadine chuckled nervously, "This and that, and a whole lot of these and those."

"I see. Sounds like serious business," her mother replied with a twinkle in her eye.

The brunette girl brushed into the room to remove the pot cooking over the stove, and placed it carefully on the center of the table her mother sat at, "You betcha."

As Nadine set out four bowels, and began to evenly proportion the stew among them, she heard her mother shout out into the narrow hallway, "Leon, dinner!"

She rubbed her sore ear. For a woman who was so small, she barely reached Nadine's chin, she sure had a set of powerful lungs on her. Her eardrum still pounded as she sat behind one of the full bowels.

A low grumble of expletives and a slamming door announced a new presence in the room. Leon stood at the entrance to the kitchen in all his angsty teenage glory. A permanent scowl seemed at home on his young face.

"Geez, woman. I'm just in the next room over. You don't have to bust a damned blood vessel to get me in the kitchen," the thirteen-year-old boy muttered.

Nadine watched on as her mother gave a deep sigh, but chose to ignore her son's less than respectful behavior, "Go tell your sister to close up shop, and come up for dinner."

They listened as Leon made his way down the short hall, and stopped at the top of the stairs to shout, "Hey, old cow, it's time for dinner!"

Mother and daughter met eyes and shared an exasperated groan. Leon had once been such a sweet boy, Nadine mused. It was when puberty set in, however, that her younger brother had taken on this insufferable attitude. She was counting the years left until he would get over this hormonal rush, and come back to his better senses.

Leon reappeared into the room, and took a seat to the right of Nadine. He immediately began shoveling the stew into his mouth heedless of how it was still too hot for that level voracious consumption. He was already reaching into the cooking pot to dish himself out a generous helping of seconds.

"Hurry up and eat before the big heifer gets in here," Leon said around a chunk of potato in his mouth, "Once she's done there'll be nothing left."

Despite how rude he sounded, Nadine couldn't find the lie in his statement.

"I heard that, you little imp," Lucille said waddling into the room, and taking a seat for herself.

The oldest and youngest of the Huntly children sent each other a heated glare. They only dropped their gaze when their mother clapped her hands together, and in a falsely cheerful voice demanded they all began eating that moment. Nadine fought down the urge to roll her eyes. This was a typical dinner in the Huntly household.

The meal continued on in silence except for the scraping of silverware against porcelain. Nadine would normally have followed her brother's example, and would be scrambling to down a second portion. This evening, though, her mind was more preoccupied than usual.

"Soooo," Nadine opened her mouth unsure where to begin.

Three pairs of eyes peered back at her, each of them with a spoon raised at various heights toward their lips. It was like looking at a herd of startled auburn-haired deer. It was rare for someone to stop cramming food into their face to speak at this table.

"What if I…um, ah…" The sole brunette gulped, "I'm thinkingofjoiningtheAmestrianMilitaryAcademy?"

"Wha…?" Lucille attempted to ask with a full mouth.

Nadine sat a little straighter, focusing all her attention on her untouched dinner rather than her family. The stew was not nearly as judgmental as her siblings were, after all.

"Um, er, I'm thinking of joining the Military Academy in Central City."

There was a moment of blissful silence before all hell broke loose.

" _Are you insane?!_ " The shrill voice of Lucille filled every inch of the compact room, very much her mother's daughter.

"Clearly," even Leon had stopped his meal to add in his own impolite opinion.

" _Naddie_ ," the eldest of the Huntly children whined the childhood nickname, "this is madness. What got you thinking about this?"

Nadine shifted uncomfortably under her sister's intense eyes, "Well, I—"

She pressed her lips together as the seductive voice of Solaris filtered through her brain. Remembering the sultry woman's final statement caused a hitch in her breath.

" _Invitation is limited. Let's keep this meeting a secret between us. To avoid hurt feelings, that is._ "

Nadine was intelligent enough to realize that it was hardly just a friendly suggestion.

Knowing that Lucille was waiting for an explanation, but wanting to avoid a lie, she put forth, "Cilly, we need the money. _Badly._ The Academy will pay for my room and board. I can always find a job to work in between classes in the big city, and I can send my wages back here. After graduation, the military pays well enough."

"Yeah, sure, they pay well enough," Leon joined in with a snarky remark, "if you don't die, that is."

"Leon!" The two other women at the table rebuffed him, but he just shrugged nonchalantly.

Thoughtlessly, the young boy continued, "Besides you're a girl. Girls can't join the military."

"Oh, yes, Leon," Lucille sarcastically deadpanned, "I'm sure Nadine forgot that she was a woman when she was considering all of this. Thank you for reminding us."

"And, you're supposed to be the epitome of thought out choices? You went for a romp in the field with the town pariah. You're the queen of lapses in judgement and poor decisions," Leon pointed the handle of his spoon at his eldest sibling's swollen belly.

"Stop," Nadine intervened between her siblings, "that was uncalled for."

However, her firm rebuke was ignored as the pair launched into vicious verbal warfare. Being the most even tempered of the Huntly household, Nadine attempted to placate her wily family. After all, she did view this disturbance as her fault. It eventually dissolved into Nadine trying her best to dodge the now flying comets of stew.

"ENOUGH!" A booming shout enveloped the entire Huntly clan. Three terrified children immediately froze, and looked to their less than pleased mother, "I. SAID. ENOUGH."

Everything came to a complete standstill.

"Lucille, Leon," the pair in question stared at their parent with varying levels of chagrin, "I need to speak with your sister. Privately, that is."

They both shot up from their seats. Despite the even calm in their mother's upbeat voice, they were certain that it covered a brewing storm. The uncomfortable siblings were nearly out of the room when their mother added,

"And, feel free to take the remainder of your meal that is not slung across my kitchen with you."

Each wordlessly reached back for their bowel, and shut the door behind them. A light thump on the door after it closed gave way to the fact that two curious ears were pressed against the wood prying for more information.

Nadine huffed. Siblings always seemed to have this sick sort of fascination with eavesdropping on their counterparts when they were being chastised by a parent. Lucille and Leon were no exception to this unspoken rule.

"Nadine?"

Her attention was drawn back to her mother, "Yep, that's me. Hello."

Ugh. Now if only she could control her errant tongue. Awkward rambling would not take her far in life. It was sure to be a death sentence more than anything.

Nadine looked on as the age lines seemed to deepen in her mother's face, and it appeared that she was weighing what to say to her daughter. Guilt dropped into the pit of her stomach. Perhaps, she should have never even considered Solaris' strange offer. She hated bringing discomfort to her mother, who was already under so much stress.

The older woman sucked in a large breath. Here it was. The younger of the two cringed, waiting for what she was sure was to be a mighty reprimanding roar.

It never came, however, as her mother spoke in a tired, but not angered tone, "Do what you think is right."

The surprised young woman blinked back in response. This had not been what she was excepting whatsoever. Not that she wasn't pleased with the outcome, though.

"Oh, uh, yeah," The girl finally said at a loss of words, unsure how to proceed. Thankfully, her mother did that for her.

"I'm not sure what brought this idea about, and I'm not even sure I truly want to know what did. I can't say that it doesn't worry me, honestly. Just, please, think this over. Do this because you want to, not because you feel that you have to for the sake of the family."

With that statement hanging in the air, the elder Huntly pushed back from the table, but did not stand like Nadine's siblings had just done. Instead she fiddled with the sides of the chair she sat in for a moment before expertly maneuvering the large wheels on either side to roll herself to the door.

With remorseful eyes, Nadine saw her mother's wheelchair glide out of the newly opened door, and disappear down the hall. Not even the sound of her siblings whistling innocently as if they had not just been listening in on them could pull the young woman from her trance. Watching a piece of flung carrot slide its way down the wall, an unsettling thought pervaded her mind.

 _If asked, could she leave all this behind?_

* * *

The table was empty. For the first time in weeks, Nadine found herself sitting in the rustic café, _La Amelie_ , without two pairs of amethyst eyes analyzing her every move. Honestly, she was more unnerved by the fact that she was not being watched than by the prevalent presence of the stalkers she had become so familiar with.

The young woman raised a cup to her lips, and took a sip of the warm tea it held. Now she was the one who couldn't drag her eyes away from a table across the room.

"My, how the tables have turned. Literally," She mumbled to herself.

"Nice not having that old broad watchin' ya?"

Mindlessly she responded to the inquiry that the smooth, masculine voice had posed, "You bet, bud."

Nadine took another sip of her drink. The warm liquid sat on her tongue as realization dawned on her. She stiffened, slowly turning her head away way from the other side of the room to across her own table.

Half-lidded eyes and a sprawling smirk met her gaze. There, in his trademark position of slouched shoulders and boots on the table, sat Solaris' unintroduced partner-in-crime. He appeared all too entertained by her gaff.

Nadine parted her lips to speak. Instead of words coming out like she expected, it was unswallowed tea that poured around her lower lip and down her chin to stain her pale blue shirt. Gray eyes flickered between her ruined blouse to the man sitting opposite of her.

"You've gotta little somethin' there," The vagabond leaned forward to wipe the tip of her dripping chin with a single finger, far too much amusement in his tone.

With a frown, Nadine pushed his hand away and the condescending smirk that went along with it. She had to make at least some attempt to quell her rapidly diminishing dignity. Despite her social awkwardness, the brunette girl knew well enough when she was being mocked.

"Um, where is Solaris?"

The unnamed man snorted derisively, "Yesterday you're looking at us like ya were plotting how to make us conveniently disappear. Now you're askin' about us like a concerned parent. Mother hen syndrome, eh? Cute."

She suddenly questioned as to how she had ever considered this man to be attractive. His personality was hardly refined, as his comments were crude, his speech pattern irreverent of all polite social pleasantries. The outfit he wore with all its garish silks and leathers seemed more tacky than opulent now. At a distance he was much more palatable. He lacked all the sophisticated allure his partner had held.

In fact, the observation escaped from Nadine's lips the moment it flashed through her mind, "Up close you look kind of seedy."

There was a pregnant pause before Nadine registered what had caused the staggered expression to fall over the man's face.

"Oh, hells bells! I said that out loud."

 _What?_ What in the world had she just done?

She had just unintentionally insulted this man. This very muscular, very tall, very suspicious-looking man. Once again her loose tongue was bound to get her into trouble. Now the embarrassed girl could hardly blame the stranger for his lack of etiquette when she herself was missing a verbal filter of her own.

The man let out a loud, barking laugh showing a wide array of particularly sharp teeth that Nadine couldn't help but to balk at. Once his laughter had died down he set his feet on the floor. One hand rested on his hip, the other draped over his knee.

"A straight shooter, huh? I like that. You're not half bad, kid."

"Am I supposed to be honored? I don't even know who you are." Nadine raised a quizzical brow.

He bore a vicious-looking grin her way. Placing two fingers of his gloved hand against his chest, he said with all the confidence in the world,

"The name's Greed."

Oh. So, he was one of _those_ guys. The kind that immediately assumed that all young women had brains made of marshmallow and hearts of molasses. The ones that had the idea that anything a man said was the word of law, and women were airheaded enough to blindly believe their blatantly obvious fibs.

"What kind of a dunce do you take me for? That has got to be the cheesiest fake alias in all of Wellesley," Nadine responded after a pause, clearly displeased.

'Greed' crossed his arms, giving a swift roll of his peculiarly colored eyes, and with a carefree expression looked up at her from under thin brows, "Whether ya believe it or not, that's my name, kid."

"Uh-huh, right…" She was obviously still skeptical.

"What can I say?" The dark-haired bloke shrugged, "I wasn't Daddy's favorite. Still not."

"…hmm…"

Taking in the pouting downturn of Nadine's lips, the man made an observation of his own, "Ya were practically sucking on _Solaris'_ teat yesterday when she talked about all that Academy shit, which is a hell'eva lot more farfetched. Now ya won't even trust a guy about his name? Geez, ya have some wild mood swings."

Really? He honestly expected her to believe that he was named after a cardinal sin? Fat chance of that ever happening. What a lame, poorly timed joke.

Two could play at that game.

In a low, nasally voice different from her typical soprano, Nadine began,

"Sure, nice to meet you, _Greed_. My name is _Envy_ ," she pointed at her tea cup, then to her textbook, "these are my pals, _Gluttony_ , and, uh…"

She couldn't recall the name of another sin, so with a deadpan expression Greed offered up, "Pride, Sloth, Lust…"

"Yeah, thanks. These are my pals _Gluttony_ and _Pride_."

Nadine noticed the man named for avarice seemed disgusted for a moment. His eyes shifted almost nervously around the café. The moment was over so quickly, that Nadine was sure she must have imagined it. The nauseous countenance that had briefly surrounded him was simply replaced with a less than enthused scowl.

"Nah. If a sin were named after ya, it would be 'Juvenile Brat.'"

"Envy, Brat, Nadine Huntly, whatever. All the same, really." The girl was getting into the swing of their practically lighthearted banter now. The tension easing from her taunt form.

"Shit," Greed muttered, "Your parents ever teach ya some damned manners?"

"My mother might have managed to sprinkle in a few good virtues here and there," Nadine shrugged, "As for my father, well, the dead don't teach you much else, but how to be angsty."

The Huntly child would be the first to willingly admit that she had her flaws, a plethora of them, too. She was no saint, but she wasn't quite a devil either. Perhaps that just made her…human?

The sandy-haired girl continued, "How about you? You don't seem the pinnacle of polite yourself."

"My parenting was a bit lackin'. Taking my… _youth_ …into account, I'll have ya know that I turned out pretty f-cking well. Daddy issues, though? I guess ya could say I relate," Greed frowned as if an idea had just come to him, "Besides, I'm plenty polite. I cleaned your chin, didn't I?"

Nadine scrunched up her nose in disapproval, "I hardly believe you did that out of the kindness of your heart."

"Hey," Greed messed with one of the leather bracelets on his exposed wrist, "I was tryin' to save ya a bit of embarrassment. But, what can I do? If ya got it out for me then there ain't a damn thing I can do to get in your good graces. Gimme a f-cking break, kid."

Though his language was coarse, Greed did not appear to be upset in the slightest. Nadine guessed that foul language must have been what he considered to be part of his charm. He was certainly insufferable, but charming? Maybe she'd have to hand that to him. His lack of social convention actually made him easier to talk to than it was off-putting. But, just barely, that is.

"So, why are you even here?" Nadine finally breached the topic that had her curious from the start of their conversation.

"Huh?" Greed leaned forward to rest his elbows against the table, steepling the fingers of his gloved hands, "Right, yeah, business."

Unbeknownst to Nadine, it was unusual for Greed to be on a solo mission. That fact left the typically loquacious man at a loss as of what to say next. Somehow he had to ensnare this brat into willingly involving herself with the military, and thusly, its underground leader, Father.

He usually had Envy or Lust with him when it came to covert operations. While he did have a smooth way with words, he was too direct to play the mind games that Father sometimes required them to concoct. Therefore, more often than not, he was sent as backup for his more manipulative siblings. He was forced to tag along with the mere idea that he was to go Ultimate Shield and bloody a few lips if trouble arose. It frequently did, too.

It was degrading work, but often Greed found himself too lazy to care. To him, it was all a waste of time anyway. He couldn't find it within himself to give two shits whether Father turned Amestris into a nationwide transmutation circle or not.

Being a megalomaniac's lackey was not what Greed had planned out for the entirety his near immortal life. No, he had bigger and better plans he would someday seek to fulfill. Ones that were much more self-satisfying than playing bodyguard for a bunch of homunculi.

Higher ambitions aside, the homunculus still had the matter of persuading this girl sitting in front of him. She seemed naive, easily trusting, and had an interest in alchemy. That made her a valuable candidate for inclusion in the Father's alchemist program. She'd mindlessly follow any order with the right coaxing.

Before Lust had skirted out of town, she had assured him that the target was putty in their hands after speaking with her yesterday. She had left him behind to _"mold the girl into an obedient pawn,"_ saying that it was _"something even you can do, Greed."_ Tch, arrogant woman.

With that, the sole female homunculus dumped on him the job of forcing this kid into jumping on the first train to Central. This was supposedly the easy gig. Lust was whisked off to the more challenging work of recruiting a malleable young man in Eastern Amestris, who reportedly had gained a sudden interest in atmospheric alchemy. Now it was his burden to babysit the Wellesley brat.

The only place that Greed was expert in cooing women to was his bed. Convincing someone into making life decisions was a lot more difficult than swaying them to do something for a single passionate night. But, damn it, he was Greed the Avaricious, and he would allow no little girl to defeat him.

Not that Nadine was privy to any of this information, so she sat there with an irritated grimace at his sudden silence.

"What? Did your ego get caught in your throat or something?" Nadine drawled.

Finally, Greed began with, "So, ya said your old man is dead?"

He knew the approach was weak, but he was grasping at straws here.

Nadine shifted uncomfortably with a sour face, but answered nonetheless, "Well, that is certainly random, but yeah."

The Huntly girl eyed Greed warily. What was this guy getting at? Did he think he was being clever? Because, honestly, he wasn't.

His façade was as transparent as the windows that lined the café. She did not appreciate when people were evasive with her. Being such a candid person, Nadine had little tolerance for those who were not.

Then the two went back and forth for a moment.

"How long?" Greed pursued.

"I hardly see how you're entitled to that information." Light eyebrows rose into a matt of curly brown bangs.

The man tutted, "I'm just tryin' to make conversation. Ya don't have to be so damned stiff about it."

"Seems more like you're trying to weasel your way out of giving me an explanation as to why you invaded my table." Nadine fiddled with her tea cup, running her finger lightly in a circular pattern along the lip, and looking up from under her eyelashes.

Greed grunted. Throwing his arm around the back of his chair and leveling his amethyst gaze on her young face,

"Listen, kid, I'll be straight with you. I'm sitting here to try to convince ya to take Solaris up on her offer."

Nadine's continence lighted. The truth was out. As pushy as he seemed, she appreciated his honesty more than anything.

"Yeah?" Nadine quizzed, tilting her head ever so slightly, "Why so desperate?"

The girl was biting at the bait. She was clearly interested in not only what he had to say, but in the prospect of the Academy. Switching gears, Greed decided to put things into terms he was more familiar with, and altered his game plan.

"It ain't that. I was watching ya when 'Solaris' spoke yesterday. Had a look on your face that I know all too well. Kid, ya **want** this."

"I-I-I am not exactly sure what you mean," Suddenly Nadine was unable to meet his gaze, which caused her to miss the triumphant smirk that lit up Greed's features. What a hypocrite, she chastised herself. Now she was the one being a bit evasive.

"Eh, none of that bullshit." Greed shook his head exasperatedly, "Ya have the covetous look right now."

Nadine stared obstinately at her lap, bunching the cloth of her skirt nervously in her fists. Sweat prickled at her temples. He was getting unsettlingly close to the truth.

"You're enraptured with the idea, brat. My name's Greed, remember? Ya can't hide _wanting_ somethin' from me."

"That's not it…my family…" Nadine's refusal came out in a feeble voice.

It was true that Nadine had thought over Solaris' offer to train in the new special alchemist program in Central. It was a once in a life time opportunity that she had merely stumbled into by just reading the right subjects. Most would call her a fool for passing it up.

A career in the military would be harrowing, but it would also be vastly rewarding. The pay would be well. Taking into consideration the worsening health of her mother and that her sister would soon have her hands full with a child, Nadine knew they would desperately need the money.

As the training of doctors and surgical techniques improved, the livelihood of their apothecary business fell more and more. People no longer were seeking out homemade remedies for their ailments. Now they were traveling on the new rail system to the big cities where they could find government trained doctors that would cure their illnesses for them.

To be honest, Nadine had always been interested in medicine. She had grown up constantly surrounded by it, after all. It was only within the last year that she had become interested in alchemy and the medicinal properties it could possibly hold. Perhaps, if she could learn how to apply it, then she could bring their struggling apothecary business back from the grave. It turned out that teaching herself was much more difficult than she had thought.

Applying for the Academy, however, could give her real lessons. She could send any money she earned home, and could eventually bring the skills she honed back to their family business. She would never admit it, but the power, money, and glory that a job in the military offered attracted her as well.

But, could her family survive without her constant presence?

Greed's voice pulled Nadine out of her contemplation, "Well, what about your family? Ya want what's best for 'em, right?"

"Well, uh, yes…" The girl felt like she still could not look at the man.

"So, what's best for 'em then?"

Nadine was silent for a long while. When Greed was sure that she wasn't going to answer, he began again,

"From your silence, ya obviously want this. Ya got that insatiable desire clawing at your chest." – he leaned forward clutching the silken fabric of his waistcoat – "It's flowing through your veins, gripping at your soul. The only thing that quenches that urge is obtainment! The feeling of clutching all you desire by your own hands is euphoric!"

Nadine finally looked up to be struck speechless by the frenzied gleam in his eye. Suddenly, she was entranced. Very much a little sparrow caught by the stare of a predacious snake.

"Brat, take possession of your life. Why not take all the world has to offer?"

Nadine was not quite sure whether Greed's intensity resulted from extreme passion or insanity. At this point, she wasn't quite sure that it mattered all that much, because regardless, she was taken by his words. Something was stirring within her. She realized now that he was quite aptly named.

"So, Nadine," Greed addressed her properly for the first time since their meeting, "tell me…whatdya want?"

* * *

"Clearly, I am insane."

Nadine was in a part of Wellesley she rarely traveled to muttering into the cool spring evening air. She still wore the outfit she had sported in the café earlier, the tea stain quite evident even in the low lighting. By the fidgeting of her hands and the twitch of her of her cheek, it was rather easy to tell that she was nervous.

Her steps were hasty as she dashed through the dark streets. Gray eyes were trained on the approaching light in the distance. Pumping her legs faster, Nadine made the last few long strides she needed to reach her destination: the train station.

She came to an abrupt halt stepping onto a wood platform. The bewildered expression that was painted across her face gave way to the fact that she clearly felt out of place. Unsure of what to do with herself, the girl paced nervously back and forth across the platform until a concerned voice called out to her.

"Hey, you lost?"

Nadine spun on the spot to catch sight of a white, elderly head poking out of a candlelit booth.

"No," she replied rushing toward the aged man who had spoken, "but I could use your help."

The man grumbled leaning back into the booth window, obviously displeased, "Don't you know what time it is? A girl like you should be home at this time of night. Unless you're an evening harlot, that is. You a prostitute?"

"W-What? Uh, uh, uh, no," Nadine sputtered as she placed her hands upon the grainy surface of the booth countertop, "I can assure you that I am not."

"Then come back in the morning when it's more appropriate for a girl to be out!"

With that the crotchety senior attempted to close the booth window on the beseeching girl. However, before he could slam it all the way shut, Nadine caught the bottom, and pushed it back up. Her voice was a bit manic as she began to shout,

"Wait! Please, I need to do this before I lose the nerve!"

The old man slurred a few obscenities under his breath, but turned back to eye Nadine nonetheless, "Fine, fine," he straightened up a bit, "Wellesley Train Depot. How may I help you?"

Nadine visibly trembled. She sucked in a large breath hoping to calm her jitters. Her eyes bore into the ground, before she raised them to meet the irritated man's. This time there was a starling conviction in them, they flashed like hard steel in her certitude.

"Well?" the train clerk cut in, his voice thick with agitation.

Mustering up all the meager courage she had, Nadine spoke, "I need a train ticket that will take me to the capital!"

"Central City? It was a waste of time running up here tonight. The next doesn't leave for two days. Will that be a one way or a return route?"

With a sense of finality, the phrase slipped from Nadine's lips,

"One way, please."

* * *

 **Well, there you have it! The end of chapter two. Hopefully Greed was in character, and you enjoyed the snarky banter** **between himself and Nadine. I hope you all are liking how this is turning out. Please, if you would, let me know what you think about this chapter.**

 **Additionally, I have a poll up on my profile page. Basically, I am writing two stories, and unfortunately, that takes up a good bit of time. Therefore, I will be updating one every week and the other once a month. Please go vote on which you would like for me to update weekly, so I know which to handle more expediently! Thank you.**

 **That being said...A SPECIAL THANKS TO: Thanks to heavybreathingcat, JMichelleW, StariChanx, and ShandaHinata-chan for following last chapter! Thanks to Moonstar66, Pandoru, StariChanx, GiraffePanda2, and ShindaHinata-chan for favouriting! A super special thanks to the Guest, JMichelleW, heavybreathingcat, and Pandoru for your kind reviews. I really appreciate the encouragement you all gave me, and appreciate the pointers you helped me out with. I appreciate every single view. :)**

 **Please follow, favourite, and especially review! Please keep my passion for this story flowing. :)**


	4. Central

**Ode to Forgotten Histories**

 **Chapter Three:**

 **"Central"**

* * *

 _1_ _st_ _May, 1807; in route to Central City, Central Amestris_

* * *

The world passed by in a nauseating blur. Most people would marvel at the nature passing by outside the train window with wonder, much like the awestruck children whom had their noses pressed up against the glass several seats away. Nadine, however, did not fall into such a group of passengers.

When she had boarded the train that morning, Nadine had ignorantly chosen a seat by the window with the thought in mind that she could spend her time enjoying the hilly countryside on her long journey to the capital. Now, as she sat with one hand clenching the seat until her knuckles had turned white and the other pressed firmly against her lips to keep the nausea at bay, the girl was regretting her ill-informed decision. Being someone who only had the luxury of using her own two feet to transport her thus far in life, Nadine was ill-equipped to handle motion sickness or the resultant immobilizing fear of being propelled down the tracks at forty-five miles per hour.

"Don't tell me I'm gonna hav'ta wipe your chin again, am I?"

Oh? Right. How could she forget the most harrowing part of this journey? _That_ insufferable man was lazily sprawled out across the same bench in the much too cramped compartment.

The amused sneer that had bloomed on Greed's face when he had slid back the compartment door and had found her sitting there, could have been described no other way but downright sinful. He then had wasted no time proceeding to purr a "Fancy seeing ya, toots," then taking up three-fourths of the seat.

"H-how are you-u-u so cal-calm when c-clearly we are ab-about t-t-to dieeee?"

Nadine's voice shook less from fear than from attempting to squeeze syllables around the vomit that lurched halfway up her throat.

The dark-haired man glanced her way for a moment before returning to gawking at the busty woman who was batting her eyelashes at him from the seat across the compartment. His eyes were angled far too low to just be taking in the woman's pretty face. The young woman's middle-aged husband was too preoccupied in attempting to corral the couple's unruly toddlers to notice his wife's wondering eye.

Still not looking in her direction, Greed finally responded, "I take it that you've never ridden a train before?"

"And you have?" Nadine retorted, moving her hand just enough to let the comment seep out.

She realized it was stupid question, considering that just a few days ago that he had all but come out and told her that he was rather worldly. Her eyes slowly trailed over the other passengers in the compartment, marveling at their composure. Even the children seemed to think her reaction was off. As young as they were, they still managed to point their chubby fingers in her direction and snicker.

"Well, aren't you quite the bumpkin, eh?"

The girl was not quite sure what _'bumpkin'_ meant, but she could tell that it was hardly a compliment from his tone, "Forgive me. It appears that I haven't traveled as many…places…as you have."

Gray eyes shot between Greed's waggling eyebrows and the tart's flushed face hoping the implication of her statement did not fall on deaf ears.

It did, of course.

"I'd be happy to show you around a few places when you get older, kid."

Ah, so it wasn't entirely lost on him then.

"No thanks. I think I'd r-rather stumble around lo-lost," Nadine snorted rather unattractively and attempted to choke down her bile at the same time.

Greed shrugged carelessly, throwing his arms up to rest on the back of the bench narrowly missing elbowing Nadine in one of her eyes, "Suit yourself. Your loss, not mine."

"Besides, I'm pretty sure a barbarian like you couldn't find himself around a wet paper sack if he tried."

"Oh, yeah?" The man edged closer and narrowed his peculiarly-colored eyes, "Wanna test that?"

Irritation flared in Nadine's gut, frustration overpowering her sense of nausea, "Well, it appears that you certainly have a more than willing participant."

"Well, well, brat. What brought on this sudden change in attitude? Beguiled by my pretty face, eh?" Greed leaned back a smidge with raised brows, the amusement clear as day on his features.

The sandy-haired girl flushed half from embarrassment, half from exasperation, "Not me, you pig!"

"Yeah?" That infuriating smirk was blinding.

Nadine openly thrust a finger at the woman across the compartment who was still desperately trying to catch Greed's eye despite the fact that her husband had abandoned corralling their children in favor of a nap.

"The cow across the way appears to need far more attending to than me," Her comment was less of a whisper and more of a shout, "She's all but spewed pheromones at you."

"Jealous?" The two syllables were easily the most maddening thing she had ever heard in her life.

The snappy remark died on her tongue as the train suddenly lurched as it began to slow. Accompanying the shuddering motion, the forgotten ill-settled contents of the young woman's stomach shot forward with a renewed urgency. Her teeth gnashed together in a desperate attempt to prevent emptying the contents of her stomach over the other passengers.

Although, she was near certain that the irksome man to her left deserved to have his silken suit ruined by her puke, she would refrain from doing so. After all, he was the barbarian. Not her.

 _Gotta barf!_

Ignoring the voice on the intercom asking the passengers to remain seated while the larger cargo was unloaded, Nadine flew from the compartment. Before the train even had the time to come to a complete halt, the girl's worn boots had already passed the threshold of the open doorway. She stumbled into the sunlight, looking around wildly. The desperate search for some sort of receptacle made her look deranged.

 _I need a-! I need-! I-I need…_

"Dammit, kid, you couldn't wait for the train to fully stop? You claustrophobic or somethin'?"

Watery eyes landed on the figure of Greed in all his opulent glory. However, the only thing she could truly focus on about him was the suitcase in his left hand. It was fairly large.

 _That'll do._

The thought had not accurately registered in her mind before she was blindly grabbing at the suitcase. Her shaky fingers quickly undid the clasp. As soon as it sprung open, the girl ducked her head in and made the most putrid retching noise imaginable. That was saying something, considering she had helped Lucille through the early months of her pregnancy.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?"

A relieved, pleased smile drifted onto Nadine's face once she felt completely emptied of the nausea she had spent holding in all morning, "Ah, nothing's wrong now.~"

"Are you insane, you brat?!"

The dreamy look was spooked off of Nadine's face when she jolted at the shout. Horrified, reality settled in. She had just grabbed a man's suitcase and deposited her breakfast into it.

"Oh…ah, erm…" Nadine chuckled nervously, sure that her face now matched Greed's mortified expression, "My apologies…"

One of the tall man's amethyst eyes twitched with what Nadine supposed was a repressed killing intent.

"So," The Huntly girl raised the suitcase she was holding shut with a death grip deliberately slow, "What are the chances that you were carrying this around empty?"

Nadine opened the luggage just wide enough to peer in. Of course, it was not empty. Her vomit was not the only thing held within in the leather folds. She closed it with a solemn face, panic now taking place of the sick in her stomach.

"You sure do have a lot of clothes for a guy, huh?" Was the statement that slipped off of her tongue when she had intended it to be a flurry of apologies.

The color drained from her already pale cheeks.

Idiot.

Idiot.

Idiot.

This is it. This is the moment that her fat mouth would escort her to an early grave. Not that she could blame if him if he did, in fact, kill her. She did call him a barbarian and then proceeded to blow chunks onto his personal effects later the very same day.

He moved with such speed that Nadine only realized he had shot her direction when her boots no longer touched the ground.

"Just so you know, _girl_ ," Greed growled down inches from her face, his hand had a firm grasp of the front of her blouse, "if you were a man, I'dve split you ten ways to hell and back. Lucky news for you, there's only one place I pound women, and that's not in the streets."

He released her not so gently, and she landed in a disgruntled heap on the train platform. When she had managed to right herself, the less than pleased man was already halfway across the station. Floored, quite literally, by his speed and strength, the befuddled young woman wished that she had apologized just in case their paths ever happened to cross again.

From her place on the ground, Nadine watched as his black coat fluttered amongst the crowd. A sigh left her lips as she pulled her knees up for her chin to rest despondently on. Why must she always have such a hard time controlling her big gob?

Then she noticed that the speck that was Greed's figure had stopped, and turned to face her once more. Her head lifted curiously. What did he—

"By the way, brat…" He voice was loud enough to cause several bystanders to startle and look for the source of the noise, "wipe your own damn chin this time! You've got puke all over it!"

Nadine's cheeks burned as she suddenly felt a hundred eyes on her squatting form. However, none of them belonged to Greed as she watched through slitted eyes as he resumed leisurely stalking away from the scene with his hands in his pockets and a whistle on his lips. She vigorously wiped at her chin with the hem of her dress, and attempted not to crawl underneath a bench to hide her shame.

Apology? Yeah, right. She took it all back. She should have hurled straight into his eyes.

"Stupid, bimbo-loving, debauchee…"

* * *

He could not believe this. For a guy who believed in the impossible so readily, he could not believe what he had just witnessed. Unbelievable!

That snot-nosed brat from Wellesley had grabbed his suitcase and ralphed all over his things!

The brat owed her life to the fact that he had spent the last seventy years learning to stifle his temper whenever his least favorite sibling decided to rear his ugly mug. That, and the fact that she had lady bits between her legs. If he ever had the misfortune of falling into her presence again, it would take great effort on his part to prevent her from tasting the carbon of his Ultimate Shield.

A woman had never irritated him so much before. Ever since he was "birthed", he had always been a fan of the fairer sex. But this woman, no, _child_ , knew how to set aflame to his more irritable side. Then again, very few had ever revisited their breakfast in front of him, and even fewer, meaning one, had the gall to get sick inside of his suitcase. Not even the woman he had hidden in the very same valise to sneak in and out under his old man's nose had puked, and he had been far less than gentle lugging her about.

"Tch, dumb kid," the homunculus' grunt echoed off the walls of the narrow, dimly lit alleyway.

He held the suitcase as far away from himself as possible as he made the twists and turns that led him to his inconspicuous destination. Allowing his carbon armor to creep up one of his arms, Greed used an obsidian claw to pick the lock on the scrap metal before him. With a click the lock fell to the ground, and he moved the large metal piece away to reveal a doorway.

With even, heavy steps the homunculus made his way down a desolate hallway. Occasionally, the howl of a stray chimera would echo across the iron walls of the tunnel. The hall opened up to a cavernous area, empty excluding a few odd machines and a heavily foreboding presence.

"Greed," a hollow sounding voice reverberated around the room, "come. Tell your father of your travels."

The man in question forced down a cringe and pivoted on his heel. He had been _so_ close to making it to the opposite hall that led to his room. After much effort, he swallowed the "Up yours, old man" that sat on the tip of his tongue.

Resting his half-lidded eyes on the hulking blond figure wired to the machinery collected at the center of the room, he spoke,

"Hey, Pops. Been a while, eh?"

The master of all homunculi, more "affectionately" referred to as Father by his sired children, looked wholly unamused by the greeting.

"Report, Greed. Tell me, what do you think of the girl Lust found in Wellesley?"

Immediately, Greed's mood soured. That brat again? Wasn't it enough that he had been volunteered to babysit the kid all the way here, but now he was subjected to her even when she wasn't around?

Instead of giving a long winded explanation about how he had never been so singularly frustrated with someone in his entire century of existence, he snorted, "What's there to think?"

Father continued to bore into his being with dull amber eyes.

"Well," Greed shrugged, "she's got a flat chest. Lookin' at her is about as pleasing as grindin' nails into your eyes."

Again, Father was silent. The only indication that he had even heard his observation was a slight narrowing of his eyes. However, his displeasure was very apparent when the gravity suddenly increased tenfold.

"Alright, alright," the brunet-haired man bit back a growl as he fought to remain upright, "the kid is as dense as carbon and only thinks after she has made a complete dumbass of herself. Trust me, Pops, she'd curl up in bed with ya if ya just promised her a bit of glory."

The crushing feeling lifted and air came much more easily to Greed's lungs.

"I see," Father hummed in acknowledgement. "And, you delivered her directly to the Academy? From Lust's brief account, it seems imperative that her indoctrination begin immediately."

Greed remained silent with a hand resting lightly on his hip, something that was never a good sign considering that it normally took the man being passed out cold to stop his tongue from spinning.

"It's the huge ass building smackdab in the middle of town. I'm sure even that prat could stumble around and find it," was his response when he finally reopened his mouth.

The lines on Father's face further deepened in disapproval, "Find the asset and deliver her as I asked."

With a role of his shoulders and turning back to continue on in his interrupted path towards his room, "Can't you have one of your lesser cronies give her a map or something? The palm tree headed piece of garbage could manage that."

"Greed."

Again the entirety of the world seemed as if it were descending down upon his broad chest.

"Fine, fine!" Greed hissed as he retraced his footsteps and the snark was nearly palatable when he called out, "You can suck your ego back in already. I'm going!"

Still battling against Father's ominous pressure, the avaricious tramp stalked back to whence he came.

"But, I'm leavin' this for you to take care of."

Greed set his suitcase down before sashaying out.

 _Damn human brat. Damn senile old man. Damn nationwide army of brainwashed alchemists._

One day this all would change, and he would no longer be a lackey to a homicidal maniac. No, in time he would be the sole man in charge and also possibly a homicidal maniac. Everything was rightfully his after all, henchmen included.

* * *

After Nadine had managed to crawl away from the scene of her humiliation, she found herself enraptured by the sheer size of the city.

"H-HEY, WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOI-"

That enchantment had quickly worn off when sidewalk traffic had pushed her into a street stall for the sixth time. In fact, currently she was desperately trying to find purchase for her feet as a man clipped her shoulder sending her spiraling sideways. Unable to decelerate her momentum, Nadine hurdled face first into a clothing kiosk.

In her panic as her face was verging towards the ground, hands shot out and grasped wildly at anything to catch her fall.

Once she heard the tell-tale noise of ripping fabric she wished she had opted for face planting in the middle of the street.

"Oh…uh…" her eyes widened to the size of saucers as she stared down at the sleeves in her hands.

The clearing of a throat shifted the young woman's attention.

From her position on the ground she caught eyes with a stall keeper who was glaring down at her with all the fury of a disturbed nest of hornets.

"Oh…" Nadine surreptitiously glanced between the sleeves and that of the still swaying garment from which she must have snatched them clean off of.

"Ah well, if it's any consolation, the coat looks much better now."

* * *

Meanwhile, Greed was stomping through the shopping district with his hands shoved down his pockets as far as they could go and his shoulders wrought with tension. He had headed straight towards that part of the city, figuring that Nadine's simple country dweller mind would be drawn to the opulence… _and_ the thought of obtaining more material goods always made him feel better when he was frustrated.

"Hey," he poked into a stall when the glittering of golden watches caught his eye, "you seen a woman around here?"

The elderly stallkeeper he questioned stared back blankly before lifting his gnarled finger to point, "Uh, well, there's one there…and there…and there too…oh, here comes another… "

Noticing Greed's downturn lips, the stallkeeper furrowed his brow and said, "You have a particular gal in mind? Young man, you could stand to be a bit more specific."

Greed tried to recall what Nadine looked like, but the only feature that came to mind was her rather lackluster bust size.

"Well, she's wearin' a dress."

Unamused silence.

"Buy a watch or move along, son."

* * *

"What in all that is holy am I supposed to do with this?"

Nadine resumed her search for the Military Academy building, this time with the addition of a sleeveless coat balled up in her fists and a significantly lighter coin purse in her dress pocket.

"Dumb hag should have sewn it together better."

On top of that, she was lost. That much Nadine knew for sure. Nothing was comforting about that fact.

Suddenly the fancy shops and cafes that seemed so fascinatingly foreign to her became forebodingly alien. With each turn the girl took, the streets became narrower and less populated. Living in the same border town for all her life, Nadine had never truly experienced the feeling of being lost before. Now she knew the all too terrifying chill that accompanied having no idea where she had come from or where she was heading.

Travelling down an empty alleyway, Nadine rubbed her thumbs against the material of the jacket, eyeing its gleaming fabric.

"One hundred percent leather and sheep's skin, my ass."

She held the impromptu made vest at arm's length scrutinizing the garish fur collar as she continued to stride forward.

"No matter what angle you come at it from, it still looks tacky. What a waste of—"

A hand, heavy and firm, landing on her shoulder effectively silenced her rant and stalled her step.

 _Oh dear._

 _Frazzlin' dadgummit._

 _Death has come to descend upon me in the form of a disembodied hand._

So, she stood ramrod. Dropping the vest to her feet and holding up her hands in an unarmed gesture, Nadine refused to look any further passed the hand and protected herself in the only way she knew how: misplaced humor.

"Ahahahaha…" her nervous laugh filled the alleyway, "I don't suppose you're in the market for buying a cheesy leather vest, huh?"

* * *

 **Let me begin with...I AM SO SORRY ALL! Please forgive me for not updating in a century. My personal life kind of spun me for a loop ,and I was lost in a swirling shit vortex for quite some time. That being said, I will soon be back to updating regularly. This chapter ends on a slightly odd note, but I really wanted to get out something for all of you loyal people.**

 **A SPECIAL THANKS TO: Thanks to gulogulo99 and bunnylover94 for favouriting! Thanks to oxCuteKataraox, gulgulo99, SongsofSiren, and thatswhatbeesaid for following! And, most of all I must express my deep and heartfelt gratitude to the sweet StariChanx, the ever helpful Pandoru, and encouraging words of BananaChips for all reviewing. Honestly, without your reviews, I would have never been able to get back up on my feet, so THANK YOU.**

 **Ta-ta until next time! As always, feel free to make my days better with favourites, follows, and reviews. :)**

 **pseudo ~**


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